Superintendent's Corner

Dear Jeffco Families and Community,

Pardon this interruption of your summer as we bring you this special edition of Chalk Talk!

While many have been busy enjoying pools and backyard barbecues, Jeffco Public Schools has been busy getting ready for this upcoming school year!

Construction efforts are well underway across much of the district as our contractors and district facilities teams are taking advantage of good summer weather. Showing off all the good work happening as a result of 2018’s ballot question 5B is a priority for us, so we’ll be launching a new construction website called Jeffco Builds that highlights changes happening in our schools.

We are also putting the funds from 5A to good use as we finish up expanding staffing and services in school safety, mental health supports, career/technical education, and early childhood. We are also working on the rollout of our district-wide 1:1 educational technology initiative (TechforEd). We know there are lots of questions about how the 1:1 initiative is happening, so we are also launching a website packed with information on that.

As many of you know, we’ve also been engaged in a community discussion about the future of Columbine High School. I appreciate the honest and thoughtful exchanges that have taken place so far and we plan to make an announcement about next steps within the next two weeks.

Keep savoring these great summer days and know we are working hard to make sure our kids have a fantastic 2019-20 school year!

Sincerely,
Dr. Jason Glass, Superintendent & Chief Learner

Jeffco students, parents, families, staff, and community members may engage with Dr. Glass via Facebook, Twitter @COJasonGlass, and through his blog, advancejeffco.blog.

UPDATE: 5A MILL LEVY OVERRIDE INVESTMENTS

Last fall, Jefferson County voters stepped up for our students, educators, and staff. The passage of the 2018 Mill Levy Override measure 5A gave Jeffco Public Schools the ability to invest dollars in specific programmatic and student service advancement, as well as increased educator compensation. After the election, we got straight to work, and are excited to bring you an update on how we are making big investments in programs that serve our students and the people who are so committed to the work of our district.

Since the passage of the 2018 Mill Levy, we have:

• Designed and planned the launch of our districtwide 1:1 device program — officially titled TechforEd — that will begin to roll out in the fall of the 2019-20 school year. Starting this year, all 5th- and 9th-graders across the district will get their own devices to support learning, complete with educational applications and internet filters. After four years, all students 5th through 12th grade will have their own device. This rollout is coupled with educational resources for our teachers that focus on digital citizenship, supporting our students to be creators with technology, not just consumers.

• Expanded our social-emotional supports for students by hiring additional Social Emotional Learning Specialists (SELS). Starting in the 2019-20 school year, every elementary school without current SELS will receive an additional 0.5 SELS support.

• Continue to support the growth of Engineering Pathways with the addition of high-quality 3D printers and access to industry-level software. Additionally, we are expanding the successful Geometry in Construction and Algebra in Manufacturing Processes and Entrepreneurship, and Design programs focused on students learning mathematics through STEM and career connected authentic tasks and providing professional learning for educators to support STEM and career connected lessons. 

• Working to expand full-day preschool opportunities equitably across the district over the next five years. In 2019-20 two new preschools will open, adding four additional classrooms. Additionally, we will open 30 new preschool classrooms across Jeffco over the next five years.
  
  
• Provided our educators and district staff with a 2.67% salary increase in February 2019, making Jeffco a competitive district within the region and helping us attract and retain great talent.

JEFFCO BUILDS: OUR BOND & CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM

While our students and educators welcome the relaxing days of summer break, our Construction team is hard at work across the district — working on improvement projects in and outside of our schools. The 2018 bond measure allows us to invest $567 million into the district’s aging buildings and facilities.

We plan on investing $70 million dollars from our bond program in 2019 - with significant work happening during these summer months. Exciting summer projects include:

• 8 track and field replacements;
  
  
• 7 playground renovations;
  
  
• 5 furniture replacements;
  
  
• 8 indoor finish projects (including flooring);
  
  
• 5 roof replacements;
  
  
• 37 schools receiving additional security cameras; and
  
  
• LED lighting replacements are happening across the district.

We encourage you to visit our Jeffco Builds website to learn more about ongoing projects and improvements coming to your school! We also post updates on our social media channels and tag these postings with #jeffcobuilds.

IMPORTANT DATES

• August 14 - First day of 2019-20 school year
• September 2 - Labor day, district closed

BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETINGS

• Thursday, September 5, 5:00 p.m., Study Session
• Thursday, September 5, 6:00 p.m., Regular Meeting

Meetings are held at the Jeffco Ed Center Board Room, 1829 Denver West Drive #27, Golden. Meeting schedules and agendas are posted on BoardDocs.

ATHLETICS & ACTIVITIES

Check Out the Latest from JPS-TV

Emmy®-nominated JPS-TV is the official YouTube channel for Jeffco Public Schools. It features stories about Jeffco kids, teachers, and staff! Click here to check out the latest from JPS-TV!

Keep Up with Jeffco Athletics

To get the latest on Jeffco’s high school athletics, be sure to check out the CHSAANow.com/jeffco website, JPS-TV Sports, the Jeffco Athletics Facebook page, and scores and photos via @JeffcoAthletics on Twitter. Click here to check out the latest from JPS-TV!